Beech Tree News Network

 Saturday, April 8, marked the beginning of a very special award ceremony in our area.  A local quilting group, The Butler County Piece Makers, presented Larry R. Jones, a U.S. army veteran, with his very own Quilt of Valor.  The Piece Makers, Darlene Scott, Jennifer Odle, Ruth Ann Hunt and Kay Hampton, came together for this very reason, to honor veterans and service members.

Larry Jones, a Butler County native, served in the U.S. army from 1966 to 1986.  The ceremony, held in the Masonic Hall in Morgantown, came as a surprise to him.  He assumed his friends and family had gathered to celebrate his birthday, which was the following day.   Looking at the buffet and special cake made just for the ceremony, he quipped, “I was expecting hot dogs.”

“All the people in this room, friends and family, mean the world to me,” Jones said, obviously overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, as he accepted his award.

The National Quilts of Valor Foundation was formed in 2003 by the Delaware mother of a son who served during the Iraq war.  Today, every state has its own representative.  The quilts represent a lifetime achievement award and are presented to veterans and service members in every branch of service.  They are a way to say thank you for the service and sacrifice of veterans and service members in all fifty states. (QOVF.org)

In 2007, retired Butler County math teacher, Darlene Scott, began taking quilting classes.  Quilting appeals to the geometry side of her brain, she said.   Because her own dad was a WWII and Korean War veteran, she became interested in the Quilts of Valor Foundation and the work they were doing.  She completed her dad’s quilt just last year and was able to present it to him on his 90th birthday.

Believing this was an idea that would have county-wide appeal, Darlene approached Jennifer Odle, who has long been a supporter of veterans’ organizations and programs in the county.  Jennifer was immediately onboard, and along with fellow members Ruth Ann Hunt and Kay Hampton, they formed the Butler County Piece Makers.

The quilts consist of 63 large blocks.  Darlene designs and cuts out the blocks.  The Piece Makers piece the quilts together then pay to have them quilted.  Sue Abbot, of Rochester, is currently the quilter, completing the projects at half the cost she would normally receive.  Darlene Scott has several blocks cut out and ready to be pieced together.  The work is all volunteer, and the material for the quilts is either donated or purchased with donated funds.  Donations may be given to the Ladies Auxiliary of the Butler County VFW.  If you have a veteran or service member you would like to nominate, you may contact Darlene Scott at 270-535-1081 or Jennifer Odle at 270-999-0286. 

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Story by Cheryl Hughes, for Beech Tree News.